Survival
by Fate Sister Murasaki
Summary: What if Harry had a twin sister? What if they were removed from the Dursley's care before the school year began? How will this change things?
1. Introductions

**Author's Note:** Er...yeah…read and review. And, please, try to keep any criticism constructive. If you're gonna say "It sucks" give me a reason why so I can make the story better. Not much else to say. Other than the ending for this chapter was really hard to get right. I still don't like it. Stupid ending.

**Warnings:** AU; original character; child abuse

**Disclaimer:** I own Samantha. Everything else belongs to J. K. Rowling.

**Key: **_Italics- emphasized or the title of a book/magazine/newspaper_

/……/- thought

The sunlight stretched lazily through the crack beneath the door, passing beneath the occupied bed, which it kindly left in shadow. It caressed the rotten planks of woods along the floor and far wall of the room, warming the small hand that rested just inside its domain. A finger twitched and something beneath the thin blanket in the corner shifted, rolling into the sunlight in a meager attempt to warm itself. "Mm…? It's morning…" came a small, tired voice.

A boy sat up then, rubbing the last bits of sleep from his vivid green eyes. A shock of messy black hair was strewn over his head, sticking out every which way – there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to which way it went. He smoothed it down once or twice, giving up when it merely sprang back into its previous position. A soft yawn escaped his lips, and he stood carefully in the tiny chamber, not wanting to wake the other occupant just yet.

A curtain divided the already meager room into two smaller sections. The boy slipped behind it and spent a few moments pulling on the over-sized rags he was forced to call clothes – why couldn't they at least try to shrink Dudley's clothes before giving them to him? He sighed and stepped out from behind the curtain, tightening the belt that held up the tent that his cousin had once worn as pants around his waist.

Harry turned his gaze to the person sleeping in the bed. A length of vivid red hair – though it seemed brown in the dim, almost non-existent light – was spread haphazardly across the thin mattress. A pale hand lay over a face, hiding eyes that matched his from view. Harry could see the pale red lips twitch in a smile as he watched. "Sammy, it's time to get up. Someone will be by to give us our chores soon."

The girl on the mattress sighed and sat up – she'd worn her clothes to bed – a too big green blouse and blue skirt. Aunt Petunia wouldn't notice if they were a bit wrinkled as long as the chores all got done. "I know, Harry. I know. I just wanna sleep though…"

"I know you do, but Uncle Vernon wi—"

"Will get mad. I know. And then he'll hurt us and we'll end up locked back up in here for weeks. Honestly…I don't see _how_ he could blame you for the glass disappearing like that. Bloody snake didn't even go after Dudley…the twit just fell into the display."

Harry snickered to himself, remembering the look on his fat cousin's face when the glass in the snake's display case had suddenly vanished and he'd fallen in. It _had been funny. At least, it had been until they got home. Harry was still sore from the beating they'd received as punishment they'd received for that – he still couldn't work out how Uncle Vernon had blamed Samantha for it though…she hadn't even been in the reptile house. "I know, Sammy. Bu—"_

The door to the room beneath the stairs swung open quite suddenly. The two children who were huddled in the tiny space turned pale, nervous faces to their massive Uncle. He was watching them with hateful, beady eyes, as though daring them to do something to make him angry. Harry thought he simply wanted an excuse to beat them – he certainly seemed to hate them enough. "Go make breakfast – and _don't screw it up!"_

The pair of children nodded, and Harry led his sister carefully past their seething Uncle, doing his very best to seem small and unthreatening. He was relieved to see his sister wasn't in a belligerent mood this morning – usually she would talk back to their Uncle, unable to stand the way he treated them with the submissive silence her brother could. 

The twins walked into the kitchen and found their Aunt Petunia had already started cooking. Harry didn't think this was a very good thing at all – his Aunt was a horrible cook and tended to burn or ruin whatever she was trying to make. He took over cooking the bacon from her, and Samantha went to the fridge to get some eggs to scramble. Their aunt watched them suspiciously for several moments before deciding they weren't up to any sort of mischief and walked out of the room.

They worked in silence for a while, not wanting to risk angering their uncle and being thrown back into the room beneath the stairs again. They'd spent what felt like months there already, though it had really only been a few weeks. Things seemed to be going well. They served breakfast to their aunt, uncle, and cousin, and even managed to wolf down their own before Dudley realized they had a fair share of food this morning. It was around the time that the mail came that things began to go strangely.

Dudley had gone to get the mail this morning – he was waiting for the first copy of a magazine he had subscribed too. Harry and Samantha were still in the kitchen washing the dishes from breakfast and the night before. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until they heard an odd sort of strangled shout from Uncle Vernon. He sounded excited about something – that was never good for the twins. They shared a nervous look before turning back to the dishes, hoping that just this once whatever had made Uncle Vernon happy didn't involve them at all.

"Brats! Get in here!"

It seemed as though that was too much to hope for. They dried their hands quickly and walked into the living room, timid expressions on their faces. Harry winced inwardly when he spotted the strange look on Uncle Vernon's face. It looked as though he couldn't decide whether to be enraged or overjoyed – Harry wasn't sure which would be better.

Uncle Vernon looked from one child to the other – he had the same look on his face that he always got when he was trying to decide which one to hurt first. Harry couldn't stop the nervous trembling that began in his knees. He could always run, but he couldn't leave Samantha behind – she was slower than him. He could try fighting back, but then Uncle Vernon would just turn on Samantha sooner and beat her longer. It was best if he just stood there and took whatever punishment his uncle had in mind. 

He dared a glance at Samantha and wondered how she could stand there looking so relaxed – she didn't seem any more frightened than she would have been if she'd been standing in line for tickets too a movie. /What's she looking at? / he thought to himself as he noticed her green eyes were focused on something other than Uncle Vernon's angry face. He followed her gaze and noticed a piece of paper clutched in his uncle's beefy hand.

It was a thick, heavy paper. It didn't look at all like the normal school paper that Dudley brought home, or the paper that the newspaper was made of. Harry could see a bit of green ink on it, and what looked like Uncle Vernon's name printed in a neat, spidery cursive. If there was anything else written on the letter it was hidden by his Uncle's clenched fist. 

"Who… _Who have _you two_ been__ talking to?!" cried Uncle Vernon. Harry watched in a sort of horrified fascination as his Uncle's face turned a frightening shade of enraged purple and his beady eyes narrowed to tiny, terrible slits. He shook his head numbly in answer, but Uncle Vernon wasn't paying any attention. He'd looked at Samantha who was now speaking in a quiet, calm tone – Harry would never understand how she could stay so calm in the face of something as horrible as Uncle Vernon._

"We haven't been talking to anyone," Samantha was saying. "After all, how could we? You decided to lock us up for a punishment, and we haven't been allowed out for ages. Who would we have been able to talk to in the cu—"

Uncle Vernon slapped her across her face, suddenly looking less enraged than before. It seemed he just wanted to take his anger out on them after all. Samantha cried out briefly and glanced at Harry with a nervous look. He looked back with an expression to match hers and mouthed something reassuring to her. "Don't you talk back to me you little brat! I know you've been talking to _someone!_ How else would I have got this letter?!"

He thrust the letter accusingly at Samantha. She merely looked at it and then turned her gaze questioningly back to him, only taking it from him when he nodded just slightly. She held it up to read it, taking a step closer to Harry so he could see as well.

~

Mr. Vernon Dursley;

It has come to the attention of quite a few respected citizens of the wizarding community that the young Potter twins are in ill treatment while in your care. We only regret having not checked up on them sooner. Even as I write this steps are being taken to have them removed permanently from your home and to have criminal charges brought against you and your family. However…

We do not wish to put Samantha and Harry through a trial in which they have to face someone as unworthy as you. If you agree to give up _all_ custody rights to the twins we will not have the charges brought against you. Keep in mind that if you do not agree to these terms you will be tried in a wizarding court and sent to the wizards' prison, Azkaban, if you are found guilty.

You have one day to come to a decision. We will send a ministry official along with a selected guardian for the twins to your house tomorrow at noon to hear your decision. Should you not agree to give up the twins you will be arrested along with your wife and son. If you hand over the twins you will merely have to sign some documents and refrain from _any_ further contact with them.

Give the attached letter to the twins and keep in mind that you are under surveillance. If we feel the twins are in danger or find that they have not received the attached letter there will be consequences.

Signed;

            Minerva McGonagall

~

            Samantha glanced at her uncle and arched a brow curiously, as though silently asking for the attached letter that had been mentioned in the one she'd just read. She didn't see any reason to fear him at the moment. If what was said in the letter was true then he wouldn't dare to hurt her, wouldn't he? Though she didn't really understand all that rubbish about wizards…there was no such thing, right?

            Uncle Vernon sneered at her and shoved another letter into her hands. This one was written in dark blue ink with an odd sort of scrawl that was pleasing to look at and quite easy to read. It was wrinkled and creased – Uncle Vernon had obviously read it before handing it over.

~

Samantha and Harry Potter,

I do hope the two of you are doing well at the time of reading this. First, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for not checking on the two of you sooner. Second, I would like to introduce myself. I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster at a very prestigious school. I would tell you what the school teaches, but I feel that is a topic best left to the guardian that will be arriving tomorrow to take the two of you away from your relatives. Instead, I will simply say that I hope to see you both ready to learn at the start of the school year.

There are a good many things I would like to say in this letter, most of them would be better left to discussion in person. I can tell you that your parents did not die in a car crash as your aunt and uncle would like you to believe. I can also tell you that it will be an old friend of your parents' that will be applying to become your new guardian. Don't worry if it doesn't go through, there are several other fine people who would be glad to take you in, and they are all the kindest people you could meet.

Now, only the two of you will be able to read this paragraph. I know you won't believe me, but just trust me on this. You'll believe me later, I'm sure. I want to tell you that I will be coming along with the ministry official and your guardian applicant tomorrow to make sure that everything goes smoothly. After that I'll leave the two of you to get acquainted with your new guardian and meet you again at dinner to talk with you about the things I've left out of this letter. I look forward to meeting you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

            Albus Dumbledore

~

            Samantha tilted her head to one side and then the other in what seemed to be a thoughtful look. It all sounded like rubbish to her. Just a sick joke perpetrated by her uncle or cousin to make them think they had a chance at a better life. Her lips twisted in a disgusted sneer and she pushed the letter into her brother's hands, turning an angry gaze on her uncle. "Nice joke. Now are you going to give us our chores or what?"

            "Chores? Hah! You two are packing! I'm not keeping a pair of useless freaks around my house if I don't have to," declared Uncle Vernon. Samantha stared at him in shock, turning to look at Harry with a perplexed expression.

            Harry didn't really know what to make of the situation at all. The letters seemed genuine to him – none of his relatives had handwriting as neat as the writing in the letters, and he was sure they weren't really smart enough to think up such a complex hoax. Still… He simply shrugged at Samantha, feeling just as confused as she surely was.

            Twin pairs of nervous green eyes turned back to Uncle Vernon, one set hidden behind a mask of calm, the other plain in a face that betrayed every emotion felt. "Do you want us to get packed right now?" asked Samantha. Harry thought he heard a quiver in her voice, but it was hard to tell.

            "Of course I want you to start now! You think I actually _want you two to stay here? It's a wonder __anyone would want the likes of you." He sneered at the pair of them and raised a hand as though to strike them when they lingered for too long. Harry grabbed Samantha's arm and dragged her out of reach of their uncle before leading her insistently down the hall. _

The twins stepped into the tiny closet they were forced to call a room and simply gazed at the meager possessions they'd been told to pack. They each had a few changes of clothes – all of which were big for either one of them. Samantha had a wooden flute that Dudley had broken years ago. It wasn't very good – she'd only been able to hold it together with leftover bits of duct tape. Harry had a collection of shiny rocks that he'd gathered when he was younger. He only kept them for sentimental value now. Between them they had a tattered backpack that was useless for holding anything, though Samantha would sometimes manage to tie the gaping hole in the bottom shut – that usually held for an hour or so… 

"Sammy?" Harry didn't wait for a response from his sister before continuing. "Do you think that those letters were real? I mean, not that bit about wizards…that…that was weird…" he trailed off. Shaking his head, he gathered up his small collection of rocks and stuffed them into the pockets of the few pairs of pants he had. Behind him, Samantha was busying herself trying to tie the bottom of the backpack shut. 

"Well…" she started. She didn't think the letters held any truth to them at all. If they'd been real, then why would whoever had written them have started talking about wizards and all that rubbish? There was no such thing as wizards. Still…she didn't want to simply crush the meager hope that she sensed her brother was clinging to. Unable to think of anything to say, she let the awkward silence hang in the air.

Harry gave a short bitter laugh at his sister's silence. He should have expected disbelief from her. From himself as well… He couldn't understand exactly why he still thought the letters were real. It just didn't make sense to him for it to all be fake. "Yeah…I guess it was silly. Uncle Vernon's probably just looking for an excuse to get rid of us. But, then, why would he go to all this trouble? Wouldn't it make more sense to just throw us out?"

Samantha sighed in exasperation, setting aside the half-heartedly mended backpack. "Harry, what sort of official would write a letter and then start babbling on about wizards and wizards' prisons? There's no one coming to get us. It's probably some trick of Dudley's."

"Samantha, that makes no sense! You _know_ Dudley's about as smart as a slug," countered Harry. 

"Well maybe he got one of his stupid friends to help think of a trick to play on us. Though it _is awfully creative of them…"_

"There! See? Even you're starting to think it might be real!"

"Right. Or it could be some loon who wrote the letters," said Samantha. She nodded slightly to herself, thinking this idea made the most sense of all. Even as she argued that the letters were fake, though, she was folding her clothes and placing them carefully into the backpack along with Harry's – the poor sack was beginning to strain at the seams it had left.

"Right, a loon. A loon who knows our names and that Uncle Vernon mistreats us. Do you know how farfetched that sounds? That makes even less sense than it all being a trick of Dudley's."

"Well… Oh, come on, Harry! You can't honestly think those letters are real!"

"I don't see how you can think they're fake!"

Fiery green eyes glared at contrasting icy green ones, each daring the other to look away. Harry looked away first, not wanting to fight with his sister for very long. He rolled his eyes when Samantha smirked triumphantly, her cool green eyes softening as she sat down on the dirty mattress they called a bed. "Sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"I know, Sammy… Let's just wait and see what happens tomorrow, okay?" The raven-haired boy glanced down at his sister, sighing in relief when she nodded her agreement.

The rest of the day went by in an awkward tension. Samantha and Harry found they had to tread even more lightly than usual around their relatives – just about anything they did was enough to anger Uncle Vernon. By the end of the day both twins had a scattering of new bruises spread here and there. They'd had to withstand a tirade from their enraged aunt when they'd let the roast cook for a few minutes too long – it wasn't burnt, but it wasn't as rare as she'd wanted it.

Samantha left the mattress for Harry to sleep on that night – they always switched turns sleeping on it. She took the backpack for herself, using the tattered, but soft clothes-stuffed bag as a sort of pillow. Neither of them fell asleep for a long time after going to bed, and, when they finally drifted into a light sleep, it was fitful and wrought with dreams that they couldn't remember upon waking.

"Brats!!" cried Uncle Vernon. It was the next day now, and Harry and Samantha had been sitting in their tiny, dark room for what felt like hours, waiting to be allowed out. They weren't sure what time it was, but it must have been late in the day.  They'd heard Dudley stomping about the house complaining quite loudly about not having the right kind of cereal earlier. Harry had thought he'd heard the doorbell ring, but he couldn't be sure seeing as Dudley had been jumping up and down on the stairs at the moment. Harry had been struck by the awful thought that the stairs would cave in and his cousin would fall on him and his sister and crush them both to death.

"Brats, get out here!" The door to the cupboard swung open, and the twins let out cries of surprise when a strange old man looked down at them instead of their uncle. He had long, silver colored hair and a matching beard and mustache. He was wearing a set of dark blue robes with a black and silver trim, and Harry thought he saw a stick poking out of one of the man's pockets… 

Uncle Vernon started to yell again, but the old man look over his shoulder and frowned in anger, and Uncle Vernon cut short with an odd squeaking sound. The man looked back at them and smiled down at them, his eyes twinkling from behind a pair of half-moon glasses.

"It's good to see you both," he said in a kindly voice. He stepped back and gestured for them to exit the cupboard. Samantha and Harry missed the frown that appeared on his face when he got a good look at the conditions of the room. Spiders scrambled out of the light, and a layer of dust and grime seemed to cover everything. He shook his head sadly and turned back to them, smiling warmly again. "I trust you got my letter? Oh! I'm Albus Dumbledore, by the way."

"Right…and…you're wearing robes… Aren't those a little…girly?" asked Samantha. She winced and scowled at her brother when he elbowed her in the ribs. "What? They are!" Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead, eyeing the old man…Dumbledore with a nervous gaze. Maybe he wouldn't take offense… 

The old wizard simply chuckled and shook his head in amusement, that warm smile never leaving his face as he looked down at the twins. "No, no. The men in the place I come from all dress like this. You'll see soon enough." Samantha looked as though she wanted to say something else, but closed her mouth again as Dumbledore led them into the living room.

The young girl scowled at the two strangers sitting on the couch, ignoring her Uncle's harshly whispered demands to be polite. They too were dressed in robes. There was a balding, red-haired man sitting on the couch while he pretended to listen to another man speaking. Samantha though he seemed more interested in the lamp next to him than whatever the other man had to say. He fidgeted with the hem of his long black robes – the trim was done in gold and there was a patch on the chest that read "M. o. M."

Samantha rolled her eyes and turned to look at the man who was trying to speak with the balding fellow. He had long black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail at the moment, and his eyes were a rather stunning shade of blue. Samantha thought he looked as though he'd just gotten over some illness – he looked a bit thin and pale. She watched him quietly for a moment, tensing unconsciously when he caught her looking at him and smiled warmly.

Dumbledore was speaking to her uncle now, though she wasn't really paying attention to what was being said at the moment. All that mattered to her was that it was real. She was leaving this place with her brother, and they were going to go live with on of these people. Probably the blue-eyed man. The other fellow looked more like an official than a guardian. She glanced at Harry, relaxing a bit when she noticed his unbelievably bright smile. She always found it hard to stay in a bad mood when he was happy.

"Alright then. The papers have been signed, you can take the twins with you now, Sirius," the balding man was saying. "Now, the board will let them stay with you to the start of the school year, and then they'll make a decision on whether to place them with you or not."

"I know, Arthur. I know," growled the blue-eyed man. "I got to keep and eye on Malfoy too, right? He'll be wanting to stick them with a Death Eater or something."

"Quite right," the balding man said, his gaze falling on the twins again. He gave a said shake of his head and pulled out a long, thin stick. "Here, you two stand still and I'll fix those clothes for you, alright?"

Harry and Samantha merely stared at him as though he'd asked if the sky was orange today. Stand still and he'd fix their clothes? With a stick? The red-haired man sighed and turned to Harry. He waved his wand a murmured something under his breath. There was a soft rustle of clothing, and Harry thought he felt a strange, cool breeze brush by him. He glanced down at himself and gasped in surprise – the clothes that had been hanging off him earlier now seemed to fit perfectly! He heard the balding man speak again and heard the same rustle of clothes followed by a surprised gasp from Samantha. He looked at her curiously and was only a little surprised to see that her clothes fit her perfectly as well – though the skirt did seem a bit long for the middle of summer… It was ankle length now.

"Well…I guess the bit about wizards _wasn't_ just rubbish…" murmured Harry in a superior tone. Samantha blinked and glared at him briefly, though it was clear her heart wasn't in it. She was too interested in plucking at her "new" clothes. 

Harry looked at the blue-eyed man, he thought he remembered hearing the balding fellow call him Sirius. "Does this me—"

"Hurry up and get the bloody hell out of my house!" bellowed Uncle Vernon. It seemed he'd found his voice again, and he wasn't at all happy about having three strange men in his house, even if they were going to take his niece and nephew away. He moved as though to shove the twins towards the door, stopping in mid-step when Sirius leapt to his feet brandishing a long, slender stick of his own – Harry supposed it was a wand. After all, that's what magicians and the like were always using to do their magic. 

Uncle Vernon's beady eyes darted from the wand to Sirius's intense, furious blue eyes and back again. He forced a meek smile over his fat face and took a step away from Samantha and Harry, though he still made an insistent shooing motion at them. "That's better," growled Sirius, his tone still threatening. His gaze softened as he turned back to Harry, gently starting to guide him and Samantha towards the door – he didn't seem at all concerned that they didn't have any of their things with them. To be honest, the twins didn't care either. They didn't really have anything worth going back past Uncle Vernon to get anyway. "Now, what were you saying, Harry?"

"Um…" Harry stammered for a moment, a bit surprised at being given the opportunity to speak. "I was just asking if we're going to be living with you…"

Sirius beamed down at the boy and started to muss his hair, sighing and lowering his hand when Harry flinched away. "Yes, you are, Harry. Samantha too."

Harry blinked and simply stared at the tall man before nodding his head numbly. "Um…okay…" he mumbled. He was really going away? With someone he didn't even really know. What was the man's name again? Harry couldn't remember if it'd been mentioned yet or not. Ordinarily he'd have asked for the man's name, but he was still rather surprised by the whole thing. Samantha, however, seemed to still have control over her voice.

"So when do you plan on introducing yourself? Or do you expect us to just go along with you like good little children and not ask any questions?" Cold green eyes gazed steadily at serious, just short of glaring at him. 

"Ah..sorry.. I'm Sirius Black. I was a friend of your parents'," answered Sirius. He glanced towards the old man and the balding fellow and nodded slightly. The two men vanished with distinct popping noises. Sirius didn't bother to reassure Uncle Vernon – he found it more amusing to watch the fat man stammer and make odd, strangled sounds as he tried to comprehend where the other two wizards had gone. "Okay kids," he said as he pulled  a tennis ball from one of his pockets, "we're going to go to my manor now. All you have to do is touch this, and then I'll say the trigger word, and we'll be transported there. Okay?"

Cold green eyes narrowed in thought. Samantha wasn't sure what to do. She didn't think refusing to go with him was an option. For one thing, he had a stick-wand thing, and she was fairly certain he could do some rather unpleasant things with them. For another, staying with Uncle Vernon was a stupid idea. She nodded shortly and walked back down the hall to the cupboard she'd shared with her brother for the past eleven years. She grabbed the tattered backpack that they'd packed the night before and walked back out to the living room, making sure to avoid moving too close to Uncle Vernon.

Sirius frowned at the backpack – it really did look as though it was about to burst open, spilling its contents on the floor. He sighed and pointed his wand at it, murmuring a repairing spell under his breath. Harry stared as the backpack seemed to mend itself before his eyes – Samantha merely watched in calm silence. "Okay…ready?" 

The twins nodded, each of them reaching out and pressing their fingertips to the tennis ball that Sirius held out to them. Samantha didn't expect anything to happen, so it was a surprise when, as Sirius spoke the trigger word, she felt an odd tugging sensation near her navel. She and Harry both felt themselves suddenly being pulled forward and, try as they might, couldn't keep their balance. They both toppled forward, landing on the cool hardwood floor. Naturally they thought this quite odd – Aunt Petunia insisted on carpeting in the living room. They sat up slowly and looked around, twin pairs of vivid green eyes widening as they took in their new surroundings.


	2. Wands

**Author's Note: I really have no idea what Blaise Zabini looks like, so I gave him a random appearance. If it is mentioned in any of the books feel free to point it out to me. Thanks. **

**Warnings: Angst; references to child abuse; AU; cursing**

**Disclaimer: I only own Samantha. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Key: _Italics- emphasized or the title of a book_**

/…/- Thought

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry looked around at the room he'd just fallen into. Er…he had fallen, hadn't he? He really wasn't sure anymore… Numbly, he reached down to help Samantha to her feet, releasing her when she gave him a gentle shove. He could hear Sirius and the old man – wasn't his name Dumbledore? – behind him, but he really wasn't paying any attention to them. His attention was focused on the room he was in.

On the wall directly across from him there was a massive tapestry – it covered nearly all of the dark mahogany wood. The scene it depicted seemed simple enough. A lush forest was woven into the cloth with rich green and brown thread. The artist had even taken the time to add in the shadows just right. A few forest animals were scattered here and there, and Harry thought he could even see a unicorn hidden in the foliage. The truly amazing thing about the tapestry, though, was the way the animals wandered lazily over the cloth and gazed curiously at the humans who'd fallen into the room. The leaves on the trees fluttered slightly, as though a breeze had blown by. But…that was just a tapestry…!

He let his gaze wander elsewhere, and paused to stare at a suit of armor that was bowing tipping its helmet at him. Samantha was already over there, peering inside the metal suit. She looked back and shook her head, her expression conveying what Harry suspected – there was nothing inside.

            In a corner of the room was an ebony vase, golden etchings of various birds and clouds covering it. The birds flew to and fro over the vase's surface, and the clouds drifted lazily along the black sky.

            There were a few end tables here and there, and some plush chairs sitting at either end of a long couch. Harry could see a few books scattered about, though he doubted even Samantha would want to read them. The book closest to him seemed to be oozing an odd orange slime…

            At the other end of the room, a pair of massive doors swung open. On the other side stood a man in slightly wrinkled robes – he must have been working earlier. His thick brown hair was beginning to gray, and he seemed too slender for his frame, as though he hadn't been getting enough to eat for quite some time. "Padfoot! You're back early!" exclaimed the man. He directed his gaze to the twins and smiled warmly, starting towards them. "And you brought them… Welcome to Lupin Manor, Samantha. Harry. I've been waiting years to meet you."

            Cold green eyes narrowed in what seemed to be distaste. Though, it was really uneasy fear. Samantha was off balance – she didn't know what to expect from anything anymore. Books that oozed slime? What next? Singing bears? She edged behind Harry, eyeing Lupin warily, and looking every bit as though she might suddenly decide to kick him in the shin.

            Lupin sighed and glanced at Sirius over the twins' heads. The other man shook his head and shrugged his shoulders – he wasn't sure how to handle Samantha either. "My name is Remus Lupin, but you can call me Moony. I was a good friend of your parents'." He paused and glanced from one twin to the other. Harry seemed less nervous and upset than his sister did, so Remus focused a bit more on him. "You'll be staying here for a while. Padfoot doesn't have a place of his own yet," he added, ignoring Sirius' indignant mutters.

            "Padfoot…?" asked Samantha. She glanced back at Sirius and arched a brow curiously. "Bit of an odd nickname." For a moment she looked as though she were about to add some sort of scathing remark, but she was thankfully cut off by her brother's rumbling stomach. It _had been a while since they'd eaten…_

            Sirius chuckled to himself and led the twins into the dining room while Remus made his way to the kitchen. He'd said something about letting the elves know there was company… Samantha made a note to pay a visit to the kitchen later. Provided she could find it. She lost track of how many halls and rooms Sirius led them through. She was beginning to suspect he was leading them in circles when, after opening a door she was sure they'd passed half a dozen times, they found themselves in the dining room.

            Somehow, Remus had beaten them there. He smiled at the three of them from his spot at the head of the table, gesturing to the chairs nearest him. They walked down the long table and sat down – Harry and Samantha on one side, and Sirius on the other. "Where's the food?" asked Samantha rather bluntly. The plates before them, while rather pretty, being covered with pictures of dancing fruits and vegetables, were devoid of any actual food. She scowled when the two men merely chuckled and told her to be patient.

            Twin pairs of green eyes turned to the plates, watching the dancing fruits and vegetables waltz around the edge of the fine china. It came as quite a surprise to both twins when food seemed to fade into view before them – Samantha even pushed her chair away from the table with a startled gasp. Both twins now had plates covered in mashed potatoes and chicken fried steak. There were bowls filled with salad, and even a gravy boat. They could hear Remus saying something about this being his favorite meal, but they weren't really paying attention. They'd both ducked under the table, trying to figure out where the food had come from.

            Obviously, there was nothing under the table. 

            Frowning, the twins sat up and looked at each other. Samantha's cold jade eyes met Harry's fiery emerald eyes, and they both mouthed "Weird!" to each other at the same time. They seemed to relax then, taking a bit of comfort in the knowledge that, even though their surroundings had suddenly and drastically changed, their relationship was still close enough for them to speak each other's minds. 

            The twins turned their attention to their food, neither of them hearing the questions Remus was asking. They'd never been allowed so much food in their lives – they would have eaten themselves sick if Sirius hadn't cleared their plates with a wave of his wand after their third helpings. "You don't need to eat quite so much at once. There'll be plenty of food for you here."

            Harry grinned. He was liking this place quite a bit already. "Thanks, Sirius. And thanks for lunch, Remus. It was really good."

            "You'll have to thank the house elves for that, Harry. They're the ones who do most of the cooking and cleaning around here," said Sirius.

            Harry donned a quizzical look, but didn't bother asking about the house elves. He was sure he'd find out about them soon enough, and moving tapestries and suits of armor was enough discovery for him – for the moment at least. He'd talk Samantha into going exploring with him later.

            He glanced across the table at his twin, smiling to himself when he saw that she'd relaxed even more. She still seemed a bit tense, but at least she didn't look as though she wanted to kick Remus or Sirius any longer.

            "How would the two of you like to get your wands?" asked Sirius. His blue eyes glinted with something that Samantha couldn't identify, though she wasn't really interested in that. Her attention was focused on what Sirius had said. Wands? Now that seemed interesting. She arched a brow as she looked at her brother, a silent question clear in her cold jade eyes. Harry nodded quickly – he was as eager to go look at wands as she was – and Samantha mimicked the motion.

It was only an hour or so later that the three of them – Harry, Samantha, and Sirius – stepped into Ollivander's wand shop. It was rather narrow and shabby. Samantha noticed what seemed like several thousand long, narrow boxes lining walls and shelves. A few were scattered in piles on the floor. She glanced questioningly at Harry who shrugged.

The twins cast curious glances around the shop, their gazes eventually settling on the young boy who was just finishing up buying his wand. A mess of dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his skin had a dark tan – he must spend a lot of time outdoors. They couldn't see much more than that, aside from his robes being plain black, as his back was turned to them. Samantha watched him for several minutes, ignoring the shopkeeper that Harry turned to examine curiously.

Ollivander was a short, squat wizard with eerily pale skin. When he looked at Harry, it was with creepy, pale eyes that were magnified to an almost grotesque size behind large glasses. They must have only been for reading though, for he set them aside after checking the label of one of the boxes. The boy dropped a handful of thick coins into the old wizard's waiting hand and turned to leave the shop – he had to stop when he realized the way out was blocked by the trio. Samantha and Harry had the decency to smile apologetically at the boy and shifted about until he could get out of the shop. Sirius had already found a way through the small maze of shelves to Ollivander, and he was watching the twins with a watchful gaze.

Harry waited for the boy to pass before going to join his godfather by the creepy shopkeeper. Emerald eyes regarded the small man curiously, and he felt a bit nervous when Ollivander moved closer to him, brushing his fingertips over Harry's scar. He hated whenever anyone touched his scar. He frowned a backed away slightly, just out of arm's reach of the man. 

The young Potter boy listened curiously as the wizard began talking about the wands he'd sold to Harry's parents, absently marveling that the man could remember something from so long ago so easily. He may be creepy, but he must be quite intelligent. Though, as he began babbling about selling the wand that caused his scar, Harry couldn't help but feel confused. Hadn't he gotten this scar in a car accident? The one his parents had died in… He was about to ask with Mr. Ollivander was talking about when the little man stopped talking quite abruptly. Harry looked around and sighed when he saw Sirius glaring at the shopkeeper – Maybe he could just ask Mr. Dumbledore at dinner tonight. He'd said he'd explain things then in the letter he sent.

"Which hand is your wand hand?"

Harry blinked, a bit startled by Ollivander's question. "Er… I'm right-handed," answered Harry, hoping that was what Ollivander had meant. He obeyed when the squat man told him to hold out his arm, watching in amazement as a tape measure began to take various measurements of him by itself while the shopkeeper wandered through the shelves, pulling down boxes seemingly at random.

"Here we are, Mr. Potter. Give this a wave. Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy," chatter the wizard, holding a wand out to Harry. The young boy took the wand warily, waving it hesitantly through the air only to have it snatched away and another shoved into its place.

Meanwhile, Samantha was leaning against a wall near the door. She was still watching the boy who'd been in the shop before them – he hadn't left yet. Samantha didn't know it, but he'd spotted Harry's scar and was now quite eager to talk to them. However, he was also feeling rather shy, instead choosing to linger near the door and look rather foolish. "Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to introduce yourself?" asked Samantha, her jade eyes flashing in mild annoyance. 

"Ah…sorry… Just…" The boy stammered for a few moments, rubbing his arm nervously. "Sorry. My name's Blaise Zabini."

Samantha rolled her eyes, forcing a convincing smile over her lips as she looked at him. "Samantha Potter. Are you going to Hogwarts as well?" she asked. Sirius had told her brother and her that they'd be finishing their schooling at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and then he'd begun chattering on about how it was the safest place for them. Samantha was sure neither she nor her brother had been paying attention by then though. They'd been too interested in looking around at all the shops and people wandering about Diagon Alley.

"Yeah. My mom wanted to send me to Durmstang because it's closer to home, but my aunt and grandmother convinced her that Hogwarts was safer," said the boy. He paused a moment to push his bangs out of his eyes, revealing them to be a dark, chocolate brown. Their eyes met and he glanced away, a faint blush staining his cheeks.

Samantha frowned curiously, her eyes becoming guarded as she looked at the boy standing before her again. He was acting oddly… She would have assumed he just thought she was pretty, but it hadn't been just him. Everyone who'd seen her walking with her brother and godfather had reacted strangely. It reminded Samantha of the way people might react to having someone like Harrison Ford walking down the street…but that didn't make sense… She made a note to ask that Dumbledore fellow about it later. "Hm…what kind of wand did you get?" she asked, hoping to change the subject enough to get Blaise acting normally.

"Huh? Oh! I mean, I got a really powerful one. At least, the creepy old git over there said it was powerful." Blaise frowned at Ollivander, his gaze darting to Harry for a moment as the poor Potter boy had another wand wrenched from his grasp. "I think he just likes showing off his wands more than helping people find the right one… Anyway, mine's mahogany and dragon heartstring. I think he said it was twelve inches long."

"I wonder what sort of wand I'll get," mused Samantha. She seemed a bit distant for a moment, lost in thought. She shook the feeling off a moment later, smiling at Blaise then. "Do you have a familiar?" To be honest, Samantha wasn't sure if wizards really had familiars or not. She hoped they did though – she really didn't want to look like a fool in front of this boy.

Blaise grinned, and Samantha relaxed. She'd been right after all. "Yeah," he said. "I had to leave King at home though. He always gets into trouble if he comes with me when I'm shopping. His full name is Kingsley, but he hates when I call him that. He's my kitten, and he's this really neat shade of gray. It almost looks silver in the right light. My mom got him for me as a gift for getting accepted to Hogwarts. Do you have a familiar?"

Samantha shook her head, her gaze wandering to Harry for a moment. He was still being subjected to having various wands shoved into his hands. Sirius looked torn between laughing at the poor boy and feeling sorry for him – Samantha felt the same way. "I don't have one yet. I suppose I'll have to ask Sirius about getting one…" She turned back to Blaise, frowning curiously. "Are we allowed to bring any type of familiar to Hogwarts? I...er…don't remember."

Blaise blinked and shrugged a bit, pocketing his wand in his robes before answering. "The letter says you can only bring a cat or an owl or a toad. That's not really true though. My cousin goes there, and he says most anything is allowed as long as it's not dangerous to other familiars or students. And no snakes. They're supposed to be evil or something."

"Well that's stupid. As if something's going to be evil just because of what it is," said Samantha, frowning in annoyance. That reminded her too much of the way Uncle Vernon had always said she and Harry were bad simply for existing, though his choice of words had been less intelligent than that. "Not that I want a snake… I think I want a tarantula or something like that."

For a moment it looked as though Blaise were going to say something in response. Though, as a stream of red and gold sparks soared over their heads, the boy shut his mouth. At the same time, the two children looked over at Harry who was examining the wand he held with great interest while Sirius smiled down at him. Ollivander began talking then, though Blaise and Samantha couldn't hear him – they were too far away, and the shopkeeper was speaking too softly. Whatever he was saying was bothering Harry though. He edged closer to Sirius and turned to walk back to Samantha as soon as he could. "It's your turn with the creepy git, Sammy. Just hope you don't have to spend so long trying out wands," said the Potter boy.

"Thanks, Harry," muttered Samantha, not really feeling thankful at all. She'd rather pick a wand at random herself than let Ollivander shove wands into her hands himself. She sighed and made her way towards the back of the shop where Sirius and Ollivander were waiting.

"There now. Hold still please. And which is your wand arm?" asked Ollivander as the tape measure hovered before her, waiting to begin taking measurements. 

"I'm left-handed, sir," answered the Potter girl, watching with a detached sort of interest as the tape measure began taking her measurements. Ollivander scurried off between the shelves one more, pulling boxes down here and there. Samantha noticed that he seemed to be pulling down fewer boxes for her than he had for her brother. Maybe it had something to do with fewer people being left-handed than right-handed – there were probably less types of wands for left-handed people.

The tape measure fell to the floor, and a wand was shoved into her left hand. "Here, try this one. Holly and dragon heartstring. A rare combination. Good for charms work," chattered Ollivander. Samantha fixed a cold, emotionless glare on him, one corner of her lips quirking slightly towards a smirk when the little man paled and smiled nervously at her. She gave the wand a wave, frowning in annoyance when nothing happened. She handed the useless wand back to Ollivander and waited patiently to be handed another.

Back with Blaise, Harry was showing off the wand he'd just gotten. He'd been quite excited when Sirius suggested going to get one, and now that he had one he found himself wishing he had a book of spells to try. Blaise, however, had become distracted by something behind Harry. "Your sister seems to have the git under control," remarked the brown-eyed boy.

Harry frowned and glanced over his shoulder, blinking in surprise to see Ollivander taking and offering wands to Samantha in a fashion that was much more polite than he had with Harry. Emerald eyes flared briefly with understanding, and he turned back to the taller boy with a faint smirk. "She must've glared at him. She rarely glares at anyone, but she looks scary when she does."

"Scary? What kind of scary?"

"Um…" Harry frowned for a moment, glancing back at Samantha before settling on a sufficient description of her glare. "The kind of scary that makes you think of hopelessness. Or emptiness."

"Oh," murmured Blaise. "My aunt can glare like that sometimes. Only when she's really angry though." He frowned a bit, choosing that moment to change the subject. "Do you know what house you want to get into yet?"

Harry blinked and tilted his head to one side with a quizzical look. Which house…? He'd forgotten to ask Sirius about those when he mentioned the school they'd be going to. "Um…I don't really know what the houses are just yet… So, I guess I don't know," he said. He felt more than a bit embarrassed that he didn't know as much about Hogwarts as the other boy.

Blaise shrugged, not feeling at all superior to Harry. He knew there were lots of students – even some from pureblood families – that didn't know of the houses of Hogwarts. "No big deal. Not everyone knows about them anyway. Let's see… There's Gryffindor – that's usually where the bravest students end up. They're a bit stuck up cuz they think they're the best though. And then there's Ravenclaw – the smartest students end up there. Grandma says they're always too wrapped up in books and stuff to notice what's going on around them. There's Hufflepuff – not the brightest lot, but very loyal and hardworking. And Slytherin. Everyone says they're the worst, but they aren't all bad. They're really cunning and will do just about anything to get what they want. And they like to stay out of the spotlight," he added as an afterthought. "I think I'd like to be in Slytherin… Ravenclaw might not be too bad either."

Harry frowned to himself, slowly digesting the information he'd been given. "I think I'd fit well in Hufflepuff…but I'd like to be in Gryffindor." Harry knew himself well. He was indeed quite loyal – it would take something quite drastic for him to ever betray Samantha, and he knew Samantha was the same way. He was also a hard worker – all the chores he'd done in place of Samantha certainly proved that. He also knew he was brave, though. He didn't think he could've stood up to all the abuse that his aunt and uncle dished out if he were a coward.

"What about your sister? Where do you think she'll end up?"

Harry shrugged. Samantha, though quite close to him, was a mystery to him at times. "I'm not sure… I think she'd fit anywhere…except maybe Hufflepuff. She's loyal, but I don't think she's that hard a worker…" He frowned a bit then. "Ravenclaw seems most likely though… She's very smart. She always got top marks in school."

"Ravenclaw is a good house. As long as the people in it don't get lost in books and studying and stuff like…" Blaise trailed off then, looking at something over Harry's shoulder again. "Looks like your sister found her wand," he said, nodding in Samantha's direction. When Harry looked, he saw Samantha holding a dark wand with soft pink flower petals budding from the tip and falling to the floor.

Samantha frowned at the rose petals budding from the tip of her wand – she wished they would stop. As if responding to her unspoken request, the flow of petals trickled to a stop, leaving just a small pile remaining at her feet. She arched a brow curiously and turned her cool gaze to the wand she held in her hand. It was a dark color, the same color as the black, wooden keys of a piano. "What core does this wand have, sir?" she asked, looking at Ollivander now.

The little man frowned for a moment. Samantha was surprised to realize he didn't recognize the wand she'd just used. He took a moment to check the box he'd pulled the wand from, and his eyes widened in surprise. "_That_ particular wand was handmade by my grandfather. It was a special order placed by a wizard who, sadly, died before he could pick it up. It's ebony and thestral hair, thirteen inches. Fifteen galleons, please," stated the wizard. He frowned when it looked as though Sirius was about to object to the hefty price. "The core is much harder to come by than dragon heartstring or phoenix feather. The price is fifteen galleons."

Samantha smiled as Sirius pulled the proper amount of coins from the bag containing a small amount of the riches she and Harry shared – they'd been stunned speechless when the door to their vault swung open. She glanced back at Harry and Blaise just in time to see the taller boy being led out by a dark-skinned woman that she assumed was his mother – Harry confirmed her suspicions when she asked him about it.

The trip home didn't seem as interesting as the trip to Diagon Alley, though that may have been because they'd realized that traveling by floo powder was worse than port keys. 

Remus met them in the living room, smiling and listening with polite interest as the twins showed off their wands in excitement. "They both look like excellent wands," he said, gently starting to guide the twins towards the dining hall, "but you've been gone quite a while. It's time for dinner now. Professor Dumbledore will be arriving afterwards to answer any questions you have and to explain some things you might not think to question." Harry blinked in surprise. /Professor Dumbledore? I wonder what he teaches…/ He shrugged and followed Samantha and Remus into the dining hall, Sirius bringing up the rear. 

Seated at the head of the table, dressed in robes of midnight blue and royal purple, was Albus Dumbledore.


End file.
